Hidden Treasures - Side 1 Track 1 (take 2)

So I'm weeding through the emails I've received since being on sabbatical the past few weeks, and the one question that keeps coming up over and over is asking when I will redo my "Side 1 Track 1" playlist. Well there’s no time like the present, but let’s not leave this one hanging out there alone this time, let’s do this as a two part series.

The Record Store used to be a cool event for me, I looked forward to spending time making sure my intended purchase was in fact what I wanted. To do that I had to touch everything in the bins, study the covers, read the back covers, and make sure I made a well-informed purchase. I loved spending time there, but I also loved the anticipation of that first listen. So for me, Side 1 Track 1 was almost always the first song I played. Usually this track was the tone-setter for the entire album. If this track stunk, well then we had problems, if not then we're off to jamming loud!

This playlist comes mostly from albums that really set the tone for me and all of these albums still hold special places in my collection.

This playlist contains 2 Hidden Treasures; the first one is that anticipation of dropping the needle on that first track of a new album and the second one is the song itself... Enjoy!

PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/avpio3i3

	Legs Diamond Legs Diamond 1976 1 - It's Not The Music Here’s an opener that continues to work really well. I've posted this track before and I've showcased this band as well (Its worthy of doing it again). But it’s their first two albums that get all the love. Each of which is a must own in my estimation. Anyway, this opener comes courtesy of my brothers’ collection. This album was taken over by me, but alas, I lost the battle and my brother collection still likely has this ready and willing to be blasted! I know my remastered CD gets the spin treatment frequently! AllMusic had this to say... Right away, one can tell why Legs Diamond stood slightly apart from their loud, brash, groupie-devouring Sunset Strip colleagues, as their own songs were comparatively sleek, restrained, and marked by a penchant for '70s progressive rock, to boot (of course groupies were still quite welcome). The latter certainly explains the surprisingly sedate stroll and proggy organs draped across album opener "It's Not the Music," which duly gives right of way to the comparatively unadorned "Stage Fright" to step things up a notch with its blend of Starz toughness and Mott the Hoople-style glam-boogie.
	Head East Head East 1978 1 - Open Up The Door These one hit wonders deserved more attention than they got, and although the mid-west region got them, the rest of us missed out. Well most of the rest of us, I didn't! It was the slick cover of Argents “Since You’ve Been Gone” that first caught my ear, but the riffs, keyboard hooks and driving beats that got me. Ironically it would be side 2 that turned out to me my favorite here (wait for that next week), but the opener did its job! No reviews are easily googled for this one, and isn't that a shame?
	The Michael Schenker Group Assault Attack 1982 1 - Assault Attack I always dug it when the title track opened up an album. No reason, just did. This one came courtesy of the dude in the apartments at the end of the road I grew up on. His name escapes me, he was a friend of a friend of a friend give me a break, but he is responsible for my infatuation with this album and the next one on this playlist. His apartment was full of Schenker posters so he clearly had a thing for all things Schenker. Hey it worked, it stuck with me too. Here’s an interesting tidbit about this album... ...the band went to France to start recording the album that would become Assault Attack with producer Martin Birch, who arrived fresh from Iron Maiden's album The Number of the Beast. The sessions took place at a French castle, Le Château d'Hérouville.
	UFO Phenomenon 1974 1 - Too Young To Know See above... and why not! Can you ever get too much geetar? This album didn’t really stick with me as much as Assault Attack did, at least at first. But it would never go away, and to this day is probably my favorite UFO album. It may be true that the album you love most from any certain band is the first one your heard and if you take one step further, side 1 track 1 may be your favorite track!